| Greco-Roman Wrestling |
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Greco-Roman Style of wrestling practiced in Olympic and international amateur competition. In
Greco-Roman wrestling the legs may not be used in any way to obtain a fall, and no holds may be
taken below the waist. Other rules and procedures are the same as those for freestyle wrestling,
the other international amateur style.
In the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, wrestling was an integral part of the Pentathlon, a form
of all around athletic championship featuring running, jumping, wrestling, and throwing the discus
and javelin. In imitation of classical Greek and Roman representations of the sport, modern
Greco-Roman wrestling was created in France in the early 19th century. It became favoured in
Scandinavian countries, from 1912 to 1948, after which the Soviet Union and other countries
came to the fore.
Greco-Roman wrestling the legs may not be used in any way to obtain a fall, and no holds may be
taken below the waist. Other rules and procedures are the same as those for freestyle wrestling,
the other international amateur style.
In the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, wrestling was an integral part of the Pentathlon, a form
of all around athletic championship featuring running, jumping, wrestling, and throwing the discus
and javelin. In imitation of classical Greek and Roman representations of the sport, modern
Greco-Roman wrestling was created in France in the early 19th century. It became favoured in
Scandinavian countries, from 1912 to 1948, after which the Soviet Union and other countries
came to the fore.
DISCIPLINE'S ORIGIN
With the possible exception of track and field (athletics), wrestling is the most ancient sport known to have
been continuously practised competitively. Wrestling was introduced into the ancient Olympics in 708 BC,
shortly after the Games' recorded history began in 776 BC.
Wrestling pre-dates the ancient Olympic Games. Cave drawings of wrestlers from 3000 BC in the
Sumero-Akkadian civilisation have been found. Similar wall paintings exist from ancient Egyptian civilisations
circa 2400 BC. There are literally hundreds of styles of wrestling world-wide today, with many nations having
indigenous forms. Among these are Glíma wrestling in Iceland, Schwingen wrestling in Switzerland, and
Cumberland wrestling in Britain.
But there are four main forms of amateur competitive wrestling practised internationally today: Greco-Roman
wrestling, freestyle wrestling, judo wrestling and sombo wrestling. Judo is considered a separate sport at the
Olympics. Sombo is a combination of freestyle and judo and is most popular in the republics of the former
Soviet Union, but it has not yet been contested in the Olympics. Freestyle wrestling is similar to American
collegiate style, or folkstyle wrestling. Holds are relatively unlimited, provided they are not dangerous, and
can be applied to any part of the body. Greco-Roman wrestling limits holds to the upper body.
With the possible exception of track and field (athletics), wrestling is the most ancient sport known to have
been continuously practised competitively. Wrestling was introduced into the ancient Olympics in 708 BC,
shortly after the Games' recorded history began in 776 BC.
Wrestling pre-dates the ancient Olympic Games. Cave drawings of wrestlers from 3000 BC in the
Sumero-Akkadian civilisation have been found. Similar wall paintings exist from ancient Egyptian civilisations
circa 2400 BC. There are literally hundreds of styles of wrestling world-wide today, with many nations having
indigenous forms. Among these are Glíma wrestling in Iceland, Schwingen wrestling in Switzerland, and
Cumberland wrestling in Britain.
But there are four main forms of amateur competitive wrestling practised internationally today: Greco-Roman
wrestling, freestyle wrestling, judo wrestling and sombo wrestling. Judo is considered a separate sport at the
Olympics. Sombo is a combination of freestyle and judo and is most popular in the republics of the former
Soviet Union, but it has not yet been contested in the Olympics. Freestyle wrestling is similar to American
collegiate style, or folkstyle wrestling. Holds are relatively unlimited, provided they are not dangerous, and
can be applied to any part of the body. Greco-Roman wrestling limits holds to the upper body.
Atlanta, 21 July 1996. Greco-Roman, 57kg. Yuriy Melnichenko
(KAZ), 1st, and Dennis Hall (USA), 2nd, in blue.
(KAZ), 1st, and Dennis Hall (USA), 2nd, in blue.
Atlanta, 21 July 1996. Hamza Yerlikaya (TUR), 1st, in red, against
Thomas Zander (GER), 2nd.
Thomas Zander (GER), 2nd.
Freestyle & Greco-Roman Basics
Objective
The primary objective in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is much the same as with folkstyle, except that other
factors are taken into account such as the skill with which moves are executed, and the type of holds that is used.
Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling matches are condensed into one or two periods, depending on the age group.
Younger groups typically wrestle two ninety-second periods. Older groups wrestle one continuous five-minute period,
although FILA has changed this recently. Periods always begin with both wrestlers in the neutral position.
As with folkstyle wrestling, the match can be stopped short of the time limit if either wrestler scores a pin or achieves
technical superiority, which in folkstyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is a lead of ten or more points.
After a takedown situation in which both wrestlers continue to wrestle down on the mat, known as the “par-tarre” position,
the bottom wrestler is not obligated to work for an escape or reverse as with folkstyle wrestling. Instead, it is the
responsibility of the top wrestler to work diligently to execute a hold that will expose their opponent’s back. If the top
wrestler is not immediately (officials allow about fifteen seconds) successful in doing this, the official will stop the match
and re-start the wrestlers on their feet in a neutral position.
Scoring
Control of one’s opponent is less of a concern in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Back points are awarded more
freely in that it is only necessary to turn your opponent’s back within 90 degrees of the mat. Takedowns, escapes and
reversals are awarded one point, unless there is exposure of the back, in which additional points are awarded.
Unlike folkstyle wrestling, it is not necessary to have control in order to score back points. A wrestler in a defensive
situation can be awarded back points if their opponent’s back makes contact with the mat in executing an offensive move.
Other variations from folkstyle scoring include the additional points that can be awarded for takedowns that result in back
exposure. “Grand Amplitude” holds, in which an opponent is lifted from the mat and brought from a standing position
directly to his or her back are good for five points.
Sportsmanship
As with folkstyle wrestling, both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling mandates sportsman-like conduct. In international
competition, wrestlers are required to shake hands with their opponent and with the referee before and after the bout.
Officials
Officiating in freestyle and Greco-Roman is performed in teams of one, two or three officials. When possible three
officials are used. The referee who stands on the mat and controls the action with his/her whistle is assisted by a judge
and a mat chairperson seated on opposite sides of the mat. All scoring must be agreed upon by two of the three officials.
Equipment
FILA permits, but does not require, the use of headgear in international freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. In
addition, wrestlers are required to wear either red or blue singlets, depending on their match pairing. Other than that, the
equipment is identical to that used with folkstyle wrestling.
Objective
The primary objective in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is much the same as with folkstyle, except that other
factors are taken into account such as the skill with which moves are executed, and the type of holds that is used.
Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling matches are condensed into one or two periods, depending on the age group.
Younger groups typically wrestle two ninety-second periods. Older groups wrestle one continuous five-minute period,
although FILA has changed this recently. Periods always begin with both wrestlers in the neutral position.
As with folkstyle wrestling, the match can be stopped short of the time limit if either wrestler scores a pin or achieves
technical superiority, which in folkstyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is a lead of ten or more points.
After a takedown situation in which both wrestlers continue to wrestle down on the mat, known as the “par-tarre” position,
the bottom wrestler is not obligated to work for an escape or reverse as with folkstyle wrestling. Instead, it is the
responsibility of the top wrestler to work diligently to execute a hold that will expose their opponent’s back. If the top
wrestler is not immediately (officials allow about fifteen seconds) successful in doing this, the official will stop the match
and re-start the wrestlers on their feet in a neutral position.
Scoring
Control of one’s opponent is less of a concern in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Back points are awarded more
freely in that it is only necessary to turn your opponent’s back within 90 degrees of the mat. Takedowns, escapes and
reversals are awarded one point, unless there is exposure of the back, in which additional points are awarded.
Unlike folkstyle wrestling, it is not necessary to have control in order to score back points. A wrestler in a defensive
situation can be awarded back points if their opponent’s back makes contact with the mat in executing an offensive move.
Other variations from folkstyle scoring include the additional points that can be awarded for takedowns that result in back
exposure. “Grand Amplitude” holds, in which an opponent is lifted from the mat and brought from a standing position
directly to his or her back are good for five points.
Sportsmanship
As with folkstyle wrestling, both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling mandates sportsman-like conduct. In international
competition, wrestlers are required to shake hands with their opponent and with the referee before and after the bout.
Officials
Officiating in freestyle and Greco-Roman is performed in teams of one, two or three officials. When possible three
officials are used. The referee who stands on the mat and controls the action with his/her whistle is assisted by a judge
and a mat chairperson seated on opposite sides of the mat. All scoring must be agreed upon by two of the three officials.
Equipment
FILA permits, but does not require, the use of headgear in international freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. In
addition, wrestlers are required to wear either red or blue singlets, depending on their match pairing. Other than that, the
equipment is identical to that used with folkstyle wrestling.
Karam Gaber of Egypt, the 2002 World
Silver Medalist at 96 kg, throws Quincey
Clark at the 2003 Dave Schultz International
Silver Medalist at 96 kg, throws Quincey
Clark at the 2003 Dave Schultz International
Olympic Bronze Medalist Garrett
Lowney wrestles Justin Ruiz in the 96
kg finals at the 2002 US Nationals
Lowney wrestles Justin Ruiz in the 96
kg finals at the 2002 US Nationals
Think you know Greco?
Greco-Roman 101
Article by Mark Palmer
Photos by Danielle Hobeika and Al
Ask most Americans about Greco-Roman wrestling, and they’ll say, “It’s all Greek to me.”
That may be understandable. After all, most of us in the U.S. are most familiar with folkstyle, the brand of wrestling we
see in our local high schools and colleges.
For many loyal amateur wrestling fans, freestyle and Greco-Roman are wrestling styles they’ve only seen on TV during
the Olympics. And, of those two Olympic styles, freestyle seems a bit more familiar because it “looks” more like what we
typically see in our local high school gyms and college arenas.
Even though many of us may not be as familiar with Greco-Roman wrestling, it’s worthy of our full attention. It has its own
unique rules. Its own great athletes. And, sadly, right now, its own threat against its very existence.
Greco grapplers you probably know.
At the Summer Olympics in Sydney in 2000, the U.S. Greco-Roman grapplers brought home three medals, one of the
best showings ever from a U.S. wrestling team. Wrestling veteran Matt Lindland realized a longtime dream by earning a
silver medal at 76 kg/167.5 lb weight class, and twenty-year-old Garrett Lowney –who had yet to wrestle an official
college match for his University of Minnesota -- surprised many throughout the world with his bronze medal as a light-
heavyweight (97 kg/214 lbs). Of course, the biggest surprise of all was from Wyoming dairy farmer Rulon Gardner, who
shocked the world by defeating Russia’s Alexander Karelin to win the gold for the U.S. at super-heavyweight (up to 130
kg/286 lbs).
Karelin is known as “the Siberian Tiger” and “the Experiment” for his massively muscular frame, relentless attacking style,
and frighteningly powerful reverse body lift that literally threw a hapless opponent over his shoulders to land with a thud
on the mat (sometimes on his head). Before his loss to Gardner, the Russian super-heavyweight had a winning streak
going back to 1987. In addition to the silver medal earned at the 2000 Games, Karelin had garnered a record three
Olympic gold medals (1988, 1992 and 1996), and a string of seven world titles. He is considered by many to be the
greatest Greco Roman wrestler ever.
Other Greco-Roman greats whose names you might recognize include two U.S. stars from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics:
Brandon Paulson, silver medallist at 54 kg/119.5 lbs, and Dennis Hall who also earned silver at 58 kg/128 lbs. U.S.
heavyweight Dennis Koslowski has two Olympic medals in his collection – silver from the 1992 Games, and bronze from
the 1988 Games. Rodney Smith brought home bronze in 1992 at 69 kg/152 lbs. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics had a
trio of U.S. Greco-Roman medallists: James Martinez (69 kg/152 lbs), current U.S. Greco coach Steve Fraser (gold
medal-winner at light-heavyweight), and TV wrestling commentator Jeff Blatnick (super-heavyweight gold medallist) who
had battled cancer only two years earlier.
A brief history lesson.
Wrestling is called the oldest sport; one can imagine cavemen wrestling each other for food or the best cave to call
home. Over time, many styles of wrestling developed in different parts of the world, each with its own set of rules and
strategies. And, although wrestling was a favorite sport of both the ancient Greeks and Romans, neither used the term
“Greco-Roman” to describe their brand of wrestling. The term actually originated in France centuries later, where
soldiers in Napoleon’s army perfected the style as part of their training.
Greco-Roman wrestling has been a part of the modern Olympic Games from the outset in 1896. By contrast, freestyle
wrestling did not make its first Olympic appearance until the 1904 Games… then was dropped temporarily for the 1912
Olympics.
The 1912 Stockholm Games are notable for having two of the longest recorded amateur wrestling matches in history --
and both were Greco-Roman bouts. Imagine wrestling for nine hours to a tie… or worse, grappling for 11 hours, 40
minutes only to get pinned!
Up until the 1950s, Sweden dominated Greco-Roman wrestling. Since then, Eastern European grapplers have been the
big winners… though the U.S. has enjoyed some considerable successes in Greco since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Greco-Roman rules!
Both Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling share the same ultimate goal -- to pin your shoulders to the mat. And the
rules are basically the same, with one very important distinction: In Greco, a wrestler may not attack his opponent’s
legs… nor may he use his own legs to trip or lift or attempt any other moves.
In addition, there are distinctions in style and strategy that make Greco-Roman wrestling unique. Greco fans thrill to the
spectacular throws that are a hallmark of this wrestling style. (Russia’s Alexander Karelin’s amazing reverse body lift is a
prime example.) Another fundamental of Greco is hand-fighting – the ability to control and manipulate the opponent’s
hands and arms. Yet another is pummeling, the fight to gain advantage during upper-body contract.
Greco skills make better all-around wrestlers.
Many highly-respected wrestlers and coaches agree that the skills gained from learning Greco-Roman can translate to
success in other wrestling styles… as evidenced by the quotes featured in an article “Greco-Roman Skills in Folkstyle”
written by Sachem (NY) High School wrestling coach Ike Ramaswamy. In this May 23, 2001 article posted at the wrestling
website TheMat.com, Ramaswamy quoted no less an authority than Dan Gable: “I noticed that the more freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling I did, the better my folkstyle got.”
Olympic bronze medallist Garrett Lowney also weighed in with his opinion. “I am a firm believer that young wrestlers
should experience all styles of wrestling, especially Greco,” says the three-time Wisconsin state champion who’s currently
wrestling heavyweight for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. “Because I was exposed to many different styles and
situations when I was young, I feel comfortable under any circumstance that occurs on the mat. I didn’t like Greco much
as a kid, but it always gives me things that I can draw from when a match is on the line.”
According to TheMat.com article, National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson, who was a Junior National Greco-Roman
champion, recommends that young wrestlers try all styles: “You might not be able to see the effects earlier in your career
but later you will.” He adds, “Where will you learn to control tie-up situations and to defend upper-body attacks? It is vital
to wrestlers’ development to be put in those situations.”
Marty Morgan, Head Assistant Coach at the University of Minnesota, was both an NCAA champion and National Greco-
Roman titleholder. “Although Greco is commonly known for spectacular throws, it really is more about hand-fighting and
basic positioning,” Morgan tells Ramaswamy. “Greco-Roman can offer a freestyle or folkstyle wrestler a chance to learn
how to utilize the upper body, use underhooks, arm ties and snap downs. These techniques can enhance wrestlers’
hand-fighting ability, which can greatly improve any style of wrestling.”
Morgan adds, “Greco can also enhance a freestyle wrestler’s par terre defense as well. The ever-important gut wrench
and gut wrench defense are cornerstones of Greco-Roman wrestling. Strengthening these par terre positions will add a
distinct advantage to a freestyle wrestler in the top or bottom position.”
The threats against Greco.
In the past couple years, there has been discussion of “streamlining” the Olympics, reversing a long trend of adding
sports and specific sporting events without eliminating others in kind. There are concerns that the number of events and
participating athletes has grown out of control, which creates challenges for the host in terms of scheduling, facilities and
finances. New International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has said the Olympics cannot grow
beyond the current level of 10,500 athletes, 28 sports, and 300 medal events. In other words, existing sports will have to
be cut if new sports are to be added. (The IOC has considered adding golf and rugby.)
In August 2002, the IOC announced the recommendations of its Program Commission, which included the proposal to
drop one style of wrestling from the Olympic Games. The Commission wrote: “The low public and media comprehension
of the differences between the two wrestling disciplines currently in the Olympic Program were noted by the Commission,
which resulted in relatively low broadcast and press coverage. In comparison to this lack of popularity, the Commission
noted the high athlete quota and number of events in the sport of wrestling. The Commission therefore recommends the
exclusion of one of the wrestling disciplines from the Program of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad [the 2008 Beijing
Olympics].”
Though the Commission was not specific about which wrestling discipline might face elimination, speculation within the
wrestling community is that Greco-Roman would be the most likely to be cut. Given that the IOC has added women’s
freestyle wrestling to the schedule for the 2004 Athens Olympics, it would be less likely that Olympic officials would axe a
discipline that now includes men and women.
In fact, to incorporate women’s freestyle wrestling into the Olympics, both men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman have each
given up weight classes. For the 2004 Olympics, there will now be now seven weight classes in men’s Greco and seven
in men’s freestyle (down from ten for each discipline as recently as the 1996 Games), and four weight classes for women.
“We contend that dropping a discipline is the same as dropping a sport, and that would mean the sport’s disappearance
from the world athletic scene,” said Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling, the national federation for the sport.
Many who have read the Commission’s report are baffled by its findings. Wrestling is a universally popular sport, with 150
countries that have international wrestling federations that have both Greco-Roman and freestyle grapplers. In many
nations, including Mongolia and Turkey, wrestling is the most popular and successful sport, as evidenced by the large
numbers of nations that have elected wrestlers to carry their national flag during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at
the Olympics. In addition, wrestling is one of the cheapest and most accessible Olympic sports. Compared to most sports,
wrestling requires less upfront investment in facilities and less ongoing financial support, making it possible for athletes
from even the poorest countries to be able to compete.
For all these reasons, it would be sad to eliminate Greco-Roman wrestling from the Olympics. It would also be somewhat
ironic. Greco-Roman is one of the original sports of the modern Olympics. In addition, it can be argued that the most
popular athlete of the 2000 Sydney Games was Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner of the U.S. His upset victory over
the legendary Alexander Karelin to win the gold medal was a focal point of worldwide media coverage at the Olympics.
Greco-Roman 101
Article by Mark Palmer
Photos by Danielle Hobeika and Al
Ask most Americans about Greco-Roman wrestling, and they’ll say, “It’s all Greek to me.”
That may be understandable. After all, most of us in the U.S. are most familiar with folkstyle, the brand of wrestling we
see in our local high schools and colleges.
For many loyal amateur wrestling fans, freestyle and Greco-Roman are wrestling styles they’ve only seen on TV during
the Olympics. And, of those two Olympic styles, freestyle seems a bit more familiar because it “looks” more like what we
typically see in our local high school gyms and college arenas.
Even though many of us may not be as familiar with Greco-Roman wrestling, it’s worthy of our full attention. It has its own
unique rules. Its own great athletes. And, sadly, right now, its own threat against its very existence.
Greco grapplers you probably know.
At the Summer Olympics in Sydney in 2000, the U.S. Greco-Roman grapplers brought home three medals, one of the
best showings ever from a U.S. wrestling team. Wrestling veteran Matt Lindland realized a longtime dream by earning a
silver medal at 76 kg/167.5 lb weight class, and twenty-year-old Garrett Lowney –who had yet to wrestle an official
college match for his University of Minnesota -- surprised many throughout the world with his bronze medal as a light-
heavyweight (97 kg/214 lbs). Of course, the biggest surprise of all was from Wyoming dairy farmer Rulon Gardner, who
shocked the world by defeating Russia’s Alexander Karelin to win the gold for the U.S. at super-heavyweight (up to 130
kg/286 lbs).
Karelin is known as “the Siberian Tiger” and “the Experiment” for his massively muscular frame, relentless attacking style,
and frighteningly powerful reverse body lift that literally threw a hapless opponent over his shoulders to land with a thud
on the mat (sometimes on his head). Before his loss to Gardner, the Russian super-heavyweight had a winning streak
going back to 1987. In addition to the silver medal earned at the 2000 Games, Karelin had garnered a record three
Olympic gold medals (1988, 1992 and 1996), and a string of seven world titles. He is considered by many to be the
greatest Greco Roman wrestler ever.
Other Greco-Roman greats whose names you might recognize include two U.S. stars from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics:
Brandon Paulson, silver medallist at 54 kg/119.5 lbs, and Dennis Hall who also earned silver at 58 kg/128 lbs. U.S.
heavyweight Dennis Koslowski has two Olympic medals in his collection – silver from the 1992 Games, and bronze from
the 1988 Games. Rodney Smith brought home bronze in 1992 at 69 kg/152 lbs. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics had a
trio of U.S. Greco-Roman medallists: James Martinez (69 kg/152 lbs), current U.S. Greco coach Steve Fraser (gold
medal-winner at light-heavyweight), and TV wrestling commentator Jeff Blatnick (super-heavyweight gold medallist) who
had battled cancer only two years earlier.
A brief history lesson.
Wrestling is called the oldest sport; one can imagine cavemen wrestling each other for food or the best cave to call
home. Over time, many styles of wrestling developed in different parts of the world, each with its own set of rules and
strategies. And, although wrestling was a favorite sport of both the ancient Greeks and Romans, neither used the term
“Greco-Roman” to describe their brand of wrestling. The term actually originated in France centuries later, where
soldiers in Napoleon’s army perfected the style as part of their training.
Greco-Roman wrestling has been a part of the modern Olympic Games from the outset in 1896. By contrast, freestyle
wrestling did not make its first Olympic appearance until the 1904 Games… then was dropped temporarily for the 1912
Olympics.
The 1912 Stockholm Games are notable for having two of the longest recorded amateur wrestling matches in history --
and both were Greco-Roman bouts. Imagine wrestling for nine hours to a tie… or worse, grappling for 11 hours, 40
minutes only to get pinned!
Up until the 1950s, Sweden dominated Greco-Roman wrestling. Since then, Eastern European grapplers have been the
big winners… though the U.S. has enjoyed some considerable successes in Greco since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Greco-Roman rules!
Both Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling share the same ultimate goal -- to pin your shoulders to the mat. And the
rules are basically the same, with one very important distinction: In Greco, a wrestler may not attack his opponent’s
legs… nor may he use his own legs to trip or lift or attempt any other moves.
In addition, there are distinctions in style and strategy that make Greco-Roman wrestling unique. Greco fans thrill to the
spectacular throws that are a hallmark of this wrestling style. (Russia’s Alexander Karelin’s amazing reverse body lift is a
prime example.) Another fundamental of Greco is hand-fighting – the ability to control and manipulate the opponent’s
hands and arms. Yet another is pummeling, the fight to gain advantage during upper-body contract.
Greco skills make better all-around wrestlers.
Many highly-respected wrestlers and coaches agree that the skills gained from learning Greco-Roman can translate to
success in other wrestling styles… as evidenced by the quotes featured in an article “Greco-Roman Skills in Folkstyle”
written by Sachem (NY) High School wrestling coach Ike Ramaswamy. In this May 23, 2001 article posted at the wrestling
website TheMat.com, Ramaswamy quoted no less an authority than Dan Gable: “I noticed that the more freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling I did, the better my folkstyle got.”
Olympic bronze medallist Garrett Lowney also weighed in with his opinion. “I am a firm believer that young wrestlers
should experience all styles of wrestling, especially Greco,” says the three-time Wisconsin state champion who’s currently
wrestling heavyweight for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. “Because I was exposed to many different styles and
situations when I was young, I feel comfortable under any circumstance that occurs on the mat. I didn’t like Greco much
as a kid, but it always gives me things that I can draw from when a match is on the line.”
According to TheMat.com article, National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson, who was a Junior National Greco-Roman
champion, recommends that young wrestlers try all styles: “You might not be able to see the effects earlier in your career
but later you will.” He adds, “Where will you learn to control tie-up situations and to defend upper-body attacks? It is vital
to wrestlers’ development to be put in those situations.”
Marty Morgan, Head Assistant Coach at the University of Minnesota, was both an NCAA champion and National Greco-
Roman titleholder. “Although Greco is commonly known for spectacular throws, it really is more about hand-fighting and
basic positioning,” Morgan tells Ramaswamy. “Greco-Roman can offer a freestyle or folkstyle wrestler a chance to learn
how to utilize the upper body, use underhooks, arm ties and snap downs. These techniques can enhance wrestlers’
hand-fighting ability, which can greatly improve any style of wrestling.”
Morgan adds, “Greco can also enhance a freestyle wrestler’s par terre defense as well. The ever-important gut wrench
and gut wrench defense are cornerstones of Greco-Roman wrestling. Strengthening these par terre positions will add a
distinct advantage to a freestyle wrestler in the top or bottom position.”
The threats against Greco.
In the past couple years, there has been discussion of “streamlining” the Olympics, reversing a long trend of adding
sports and specific sporting events without eliminating others in kind. There are concerns that the number of events and
participating athletes has grown out of control, which creates challenges for the host in terms of scheduling, facilities and
finances. New International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has said the Olympics cannot grow
beyond the current level of 10,500 athletes, 28 sports, and 300 medal events. In other words, existing sports will have to
be cut if new sports are to be added. (The IOC has considered adding golf and rugby.)
In August 2002, the IOC announced the recommendations of its Program Commission, which included the proposal to
drop one style of wrestling from the Olympic Games. The Commission wrote: “The low public and media comprehension
of the differences between the two wrestling disciplines currently in the Olympic Program were noted by the Commission,
which resulted in relatively low broadcast and press coverage. In comparison to this lack of popularity, the Commission
noted the high athlete quota and number of events in the sport of wrestling. The Commission therefore recommends the
exclusion of one of the wrestling disciplines from the Program of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad [the 2008 Beijing
Olympics].”
Though the Commission was not specific about which wrestling discipline might face elimination, speculation within the
wrestling community is that Greco-Roman would be the most likely to be cut. Given that the IOC has added women’s
freestyle wrestling to the schedule for the 2004 Athens Olympics, it would be less likely that Olympic officials would axe a
discipline that now includes men and women.
In fact, to incorporate women’s freestyle wrestling into the Olympics, both men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman have each
given up weight classes. For the 2004 Olympics, there will now be now seven weight classes in men’s Greco and seven
in men’s freestyle (down from ten for each discipline as recently as the 1996 Games), and four weight classes for women.
“We contend that dropping a discipline is the same as dropping a sport, and that would mean the sport’s disappearance
from the world athletic scene,” said Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling, the national federation for the sport.
Many who have read the Commission’s report are baffled by its findings. Wrestling is a universally popular sport, with 150
countries that have international wrestling federations that have both Greco-Roman and freestyle grapplers. In many
nations, including Mongolia and Turkey, wrestling is the most popular and successful sport, as evidenced by the large
numbers of nations that have elected wrestlers to carry their national flag during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at
the Olympics. In addition, wrestling is one of the cheapest and most accessible Olympic sports. Compared to most sports,
wrestling requires less upfront investment in facilities and less ongoing financial support, making it possible for athletes
from even the poorest countries to be able to compete.
For all these reasons, it would be sad to eliminate Greco-Roman wrestling from the Olympics. It would also be somewhat
ironic. Greco-Roman is one of the original sports of the modern Olympics. In addition, it can be argued that the most
popular athlete of the 2000 Sydney Games was Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner of the U.S. His upset victory over
the legendary Alexander Karelin to win the gold medal was a focal point of worldwide media coverage at the Olympics.
| 2006 NYAC Open: Men's Greco-Roman Photos by Danielle Hobeika, hobeika@post.harvard.edu 11/18-11/19/06, New York, NY |
| 96 kg Greco: Adam Wheeler, Gator WC MAJOR Jeff Courtney, USOEC, 9-0;6-0 |
| 66 kg Greco: Mahdi Farahani, Peninsula WC DEC Eamonn Dorgan, Cabbagetown, 0-6;6-0;4-2 |
| 120 kg: Russ Davie (New York AC) dec. Vladimir Guralski (Israel), 5-1, 6-0 |